TESTIMONY

Shevika Ward: Feeling His Faithfulness Firsthand

By Michelle WilsonThe 700 Club

CBN.com
 “It began with a headache. I had severe eye discomfort. Whenever I would look left, right, up or down, it was just very discomforting.”

What started out as a headache for Shevika Ward quickly escalated into something much more serious. She thought her headaches were a result of stress from her long hours as a loan officer and actress. But the morning she stumbled into the kitchen, her mother, Audrey, knew her daughter was in trouble.

“She was like bumping into things," Audrey tells The 700 Club. "She has this glaze like she was just staring. I looked at her, and I said, ‘Shevika, are you okay?’ She just started tearing. I said, ‘Baby, what’s going on?’ And she said, ‘Mom, I can’t see.’”

Her mother took her to an eye specialist, in the waiting room a woman asked if she could pray for Shevika.

Shevika remembers, “At that time everything was fuzzy. I couldn’t even differentiate between light and dark. But as we were forming that circle. I can see. I saw God’s hand in the middle of the circle. A glowing hand and I knew God was telling me to hold on.”

Her ophthalmologist, Dr. Joly, ordered an MRI that immediately confirmed his suspicions. Shevika had optic neuritis that eventually leads to blindness.

Dr. Joly reviewed the MRI, saying “You can see in Shevika’s nerve. The nerve is full of these little white patches and dark patches. Lighter. Darker. Lighter. Darker. That’s not normal. That is showing inflammation of the nerve.”

Optic neuritis generally affects only one eye. But in Shevika’s case, it was both. Dr. Joly declared Shevika legally blind. He sent her to the hospital for further testing. While Shevika was in the hospital her family and friends prayed.

Shevika adds, “A few times doctors would come into my room. They were pretty much shocked how I maintained my composure. I said, ‘It’s God. I’m going to be all right. I am going to be able to see again.’”

Doctors gave her steroids to reduce the inflammation. They told her it could take six months to a year to see clearly again. But Shevika’s eyesight immediately began to improve. Within two weeks her eyesight was fully restored – in fact, it was better than before!

Shevika was surprised. “Wow, it was absolutely amazing to see yourself to see your family. I was driving. I went to church.”

Audrey was grateful. “I just began to praise God. It was no other person to thank and praise was just God.”

Dr. Joly marvels at her quick recovery. “I think that Shevika’s response shows the best of faith and the best of medicine combined.”

Today Shevika says she knows firsthand the faithfulness of God to overcome any storm.

“My God is a faithful God and He will not leave you nor forsake you. So I’m just thankful for God just using me because my life is so much better than it was. God is just – He’s awesome.”